Life After You
by ScubaStevee
Summary: AU: Olivia enters the machine, sacrificing her own life. She comes back to a different universe and timeline where the memory of her has been completely changed and has to find a way back to her own timeline to be with the one she loves, Peter Bishop.
1. The Resurrection

She didn't know how she got here; all she cared about was that she was. Her life felt like a dream and she couldn't tell what was real and what was fantasy. The only thing she knew for sure was Peter. She took so long to understand Peter and her relationship that she couldn't stay away from that now. She fought her conscience and fought the rules of fate in order to be who she was with him. The day she stepped into that machine instead of him was the day she lost bodily control.

Through time and space she went, trying to find meaning how to solve what she had to in order to live with Peter in peace. In that journey it came and went like a dream, she had found a way to connect both universes but the answer to it all felt like Déjà vu. She needed to come back to earth, and she needed to find a way. It was like being underwater and reaching her hand out to something that wasn't there. Her body felt light and soft as her hair floated around. She closed her eyes and opened them to realize that she was in a body of water. She can feel the weight of her body slowly coming to a realization and also realizing that she was running out of breath. She flapped her arms and kicked her legs until she reached the surface. She popped up and with wide eyes she gasped for an extended amount of air. She brushed her blonde hair back as she looked around to see where she was. _Reiden Lake._

A man on a fishing boat with what seemed to look like his grandson stared at this naked woman popping up from thin air. He covered the eyes of a young boy as she paddled her way to dry land. She laid on her backside breathing heavily trying to get as much deprived air as she could. She laid there until she slowly lost consciousness. Her biggest fear was that she wouldn't be on this earth anymore.

She slowly opened her eyes, realizing there was a different form of scenery. She looked around to find she was in the hospital.

"Ma'am," A nurse politely asked her with a clipboard in her hand.

"Peter," With a dry voice the only words Olivia could possibly say were these. "Get me… Peter…Bishop."

The nurse did so. Olivia didn't know how long she was gone but all she wanted was one thing: To see Peter. Her Job at the FBI, her family, it all didn't matter because she belonged to him as he belonged to her.

A few minutes later, while she looked out the window at New York's amazing skyline she heard a knock on the door. She heard a few pairs of feet walk toward her and within her she felt joy.

"Olivia?" She heard a familiar voice say. She swung around and looked at him. There he was, looking at her with what she can guess as amusement.

"Peter," she said relieved as she walked to him and hugged him.

He hesitated to hug her back with a soft pat on the back. "Olivia, are you okay? Why are you in the hospital on our side? When did you dye your hair Blonde?"

Then she knew that she was not the Olivia that he knew. The smile which conquered her face slowly withered away, so did all of her hope in where she was. Everything looked so familiar and so new that she didn't understand what had gone wrong.

"Peter… I'm Olivia… From Over Here." His face with each word she said gained a confused feature. She looked at him hoping that he would realize that it was her, but when she looked into his eyes she knew that he didn't know who she was.

He stepped back three steps as Walter took four steps forward. He examined her as he walked around her. He put his finger to her cheeks to check her pupils by bringing her cheek down. "I would remember those eyes anywhere."

She smiled thinking there was some hope in the situation. "But there is a problem my dear. My Olivia Dunham has been dead for some time now."

Her heart felt like it had stopped in that moment. Her eyebrows furrowed trying to discover the meaning to all of this, "When did she die?"

"Over two decades ago, I believe. She died when she was 11."

She looked to Peter for some help but he stood silent, avoiding her eyes.

Two policemen came into the room. One stood guard by her as the other hand cuffed her. "I am very sorry, my dear for the discomfort. This is protocol for Agent Broyles."

With no words she went willingly. She was escorted out of the room and with each step she looked at Peter. Daringly. Confidently.

She didn't know how she got here; all she cared about was that she was. Now she had to figure out how to find a way back.

_Back to where she belonged._


	2. The Demonstration

Olivia was imprisoned in a room which she knew so well. She looked around the interrogation room to see what had changed but she couldn't find a thing different. She knew she couldn't make an assumption based on one room, so tried not to analyze anything. Hunched over on a provided bed, she sat there grabbing the edges of it and stared intensely at the two way mirror waiting for Agent Broyles.

Olivia has been in the FBI for as long as she wanted to remember and for all the time that she's worked with Broyles he's only stood on the left side of the interrogation mirror. She stared at the left side of the mirror waiting for him to show and with enough intensity he finally did.

With a tenacious look on his face he walked through the door examining Olivia. She clasped her hands which dangled in between her legs while looking up at him. A staring war commenced between the two; Broyles looked at her to see the similarities between her and the Olivia from over there and she looked at him to see the similarities between Broyles that she knew and the one she is now meeting.

He flattened his powder blue shit before sitting down at the interrogation table. She pursed her lips before getting up and walking to the table herself.

"You claim to be Olivia Dunham from over here, is that correct?"

With attitude she pulled the chair from underneath the table. "I don't _claim _to be her. I _am _her. I don't understand what's so difficult to understand about that."

"Well from my understanding the Olivia Dunham from over here died at 11 years old. She died in Walter Bishop's arms so tell me how can you explain that?"

She didn't know what to say because she didn't know what was happening. She belonged here, she absolutely knew it. How can she say that that was far from the truth when she had a witness to her own death? Of course she can debate that Walter was insane and that he couldn't possibly know who is dead and who is alive but that was far from the truth as well.

Then suddenly a voice a reason entered her head.

"A different timeline," she uttered to herself but was audible to Broyles.

"Excuse me?" He asked appalled that she was speaking like Walter was.

"This is a different timeline from mine. When Walter – my Walter, explained how the two universes are able to function he mentioned that there were different timelines for the two universes that we didn't know about. This must be one of them!"

A cleft formed in between his eyebrows as he exhaled. He leaned forward and spoke softly. "You're telling me that through time and space you floated from one timeline to another?"

It felt like chains tied her to the words she had spoken. She willed her eyes to look into his face even though they strained to turn away. Her shoulders defensively ascended as well as her eyebrows as she tried to explain her reasoning. "Not exactly, but yes. I don't know how else to explain all of this."

He stood quiet trying to understand the predicament she was in, but as much as he tried to disconnect himself from this all he felt was more drawn in than usual. Olivia leaned forward and continued to look in his eyes. "In my timeline or wherever I am, you were my superior and you trusted me more than any other agent you had. If I know any better I know that you want to trust me but I need to get back home to my timeline. You're the only one that can make that happen. "

He was trapped in her eyes trying to get away but he knew his instincts were getting the better of him. She looked in his eyes trying to find superior she once knew or at least a friend.

A knock on the door proceeded by its opening from a familiar face gave Olivia joy. "Agent Broyles there's a problem and we need you."

"In a minute, Astrid."

"Sir, I really think you should come right away.

He looks at Olivia from the corner of his eye. "Excuse me."

When he leaves Olivia becomes restless. She needs to do something, something to prove that she is who she is. After the door is secured she walks up to the door and presses her ear against it. She tried to hear but is unable to because of the thick material the door is made of.

She brushes her hair back and paces back and forth trying to think of something. Then she looks at the intercom.

"Okay," she speaks to herself while unhinging the face of the intercom, "Peter taught me these things all the time. So if I remember right this is how it should be done."

She unplugs wires and begins to plug them different spots. With a few trial and errors she begins to hear Astrid's voice.

"How are we supposed to find where Dr. Truss is? After He left Massive Dynamics and divorced his wife no one even heard from him again. He just disappeared into thin air. I mean we found his recent home but no him. We've searched his house but we can't find anything conclusive."

"No one disappears into thin air, Astrid, no matter what anyone says. What is it that we know, Astrid?"

"Well the shape-shifter went into the house, killed the wife and took her form to possibly find information on Massive dynamics. It believed that Dr. Truss had been living there but really it was just Mrs. Truss' boyfriend. Dr. Truss has been gone ever since. In a hidden security box we found Massive Dynamic reports that he had a of cellular replication project he was a part of. It's possible that the shape-shifter was trying to perfect itself. If that is the case then they are already on the move. "

"Uh, you guys there's a problem back in the lab." Olivia's heart fluttered hearing Peters voice. She moved to the small window to see him and continued to listen. "We pulled something from inside them that's really weird."

"Maybe the reason why the shape-shifter needs Dr. Truss, has something to do with what Walter found in the lab." Astrid's eyes looked huge from where Olivia was standing.

"Yeah, I checked with the technology lab downstairs but they don't know what it is."

Olivia walked closer to the intercom and spoke aloud. "They're memory discs. I've seen them before." She walked to the window and continued to speak. "What you're talking about out there are memory discs."

Angry, and confused Broyles walked back into the interrogation room along with Astrid and Peter. "What the hell do you know about shape-shifters?"

"Quite a lot actually," she said confidently sitting in a chair with her hands folded.

"Enlighten me," he said.

"How about telling us about the memory discs first," Astrid chimed in becoming the voice of reason.

"I will ask the questions Junior Agent Farnsworth."

"Sir we've been at this for weeks and we have gotten nowhere. What's the harm in letting him try?"

"You are done, Junior Agent."

"Well, she does have a point. What's the harm in letting me help you?"

"What is it that you're after," Peter asked with an intense cold manner.

"Excuse me," Olivia responded trying hard not to let her intestines out of her mouth.

"You're obviously not doing this out of the kindness of your heart so what is it that you want?"

She thought hard about it until she came up with the only thing that made sense. "All I want is to speak to Walter."

"What? So you can try to corrupt his mind and make him more of a mess than he already is? I refuse to let him come in here and have you destroy everything he's worked for. I won't let you destroy the man that he has become."

"I am sorry for all that has happened. I really am. I sat in the hospital with Walter, thinking he was the man who I had come to know and I realized finally that he is not who I thought he was. Just like you. But now, you need my help and I need his."

He stared into my eyes confused but she had hoped a small piece of him would trust her. She never wanted to do anything to harm him, his family, and the agency no matter where she was. His face softened underneath the surface but had a top layer of stern.

Astrid parted her lips, "Sir. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Sadly, No I do not."


	3. The Repentant

The man who used to be her superior stared at her from afar and so did the man who used to love her. She stood behind Astrid watching her connect wires of the disc and welding the materials together. She placed strands of hair behind each ear as she placed her hands on the bottom of her back. She looked up to see Peter suddenly looking away with such detest. From the corner of her eye she could see Boyles turning to Peter. She pretended not to notice, but continued to look at Astrid's work. She listened carefully.

"So for a man who is a Jack of all trades, what do you read on her?"

It took him a while to answer. "I don't know. Even the world's best liars have a soft point. She talks about us like she knows us. There's not even one flinch in her eyes."

"I've known you long enough to know that this woman is getting to you. You could've left and been with Walter, but you're still here. You are my greatest asset and if this woman is going to be a weak spot for you then I suggest you stay away from here."

"It's not that, Broyles. It's the fact that this unknown woman was in my dreams, and she has been for many weeks and now she's here. In the flesh. I can understand why she could be in Walter's head because he had a close bond to her, but why me? I've never met her once in my life."

Her heart sank deeper than the lake she arose from. She rubbed her chin to strain from looking at them. She tried not to listen but she couldn't stop, that is until Astrid popped up from her chair.

"Sir! We have a hit on Dr. Truss' plates! Two hours from here he was heading to Vermont. But nothing seems out of the usual."

She followed her, avoiding Peter and focuses on Astrid. "Do you mind if I see it?"

Frazzled she looks to her wondering what she should say. Her eyes meet Broyles and he nods dolefully. "Oh.. sure. I could do that…"

Astrid walked over to a larger screen and hunches over clicking a few buttons on a computer. She stands straight and lets the video play. Olivia casts her eyes upward, her face pinched in concentration. "This does not make sense."

"How do you figure," Broyles said with a layer of seriousness and an undertone of sarcasm.

"He comes in at 11:53 Am. He pays for his gas in cash and he is alone. This is not the type of action a man would be using when he is held hostage. This would be the type of action of an accomplice, which I highly doubt, or he doesn't know he's with a shape shifter."

"So what form of action would you take?"

"I would send Agents over to Vermont to see what the cashier knows, get a description on the car and from there you make the decision… Since you _are_ the boss."

His face took on a measuring look and stayed silent. She fought him with her eyes trying to struggle for dominance. Still he felt that he could trust her decision. He blinked and then looked to Astrid. "Grab two officers and head to Vermont. Once you know something then you call me immediately."

Olivia was confused. "Woah," she said grabbing onto one of his shoulders. He looked at his shoulder and then to her, frantic and wide eye. "You're going to send a junior agent as leader? Don't you have at least an official agent?"

He looked appalled, feeling that this strange woman suddenly became evasive to his territory. "I have two official agents, for your information, but Agents Francis and Lee are on the other side helping those agents with a mission. Junior Agent Farnsworth is just a good an agent as any."

Her face drew cold trying to relay the words he had said to her mind. "Wait. Did you just say Agent Francis?"

He drew his suit jacket back and placed his hands on his hips, "Yes, Agent Francis. You're telling me that you know him well too?"

He walked away, upset refusing to look at her anymore and tired of her headstrong actions. She was left alone and muttered to herself, "something like that."

In a buzzing facility she was alone for the moment trying to understand the shift in what she can only assume was a timeline. She pinched the bridge of her nose while walking back to Astrid's desk. When not looking where she was walking, she bumped into something… or _someone. _Opening her eyes sat Peter in Astrids desk with a mini-blowtorch in his hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see—"

He chuckled, "Don't worry about it. It happens from time to time."

"I completely forgot that Astrid was doing this."

"Yeah well, Astrid's great at deciphering things but I'm faster… and better."

"Yeah.. I know." Slowness overcame her voice and Peter heard it clearly. In order to avoid saying anything he looked down at the compact disc and continued to weld the materials together. A beeping sound came from the computer where it was set up.

"Wait a minute. I think I have something." He typed several things into the computer and turned the computer to her. "Do you know what that is?"

Olivia was good at numbers; she could remember specific sequences if she had to, but these numbers were moving so fast though the pattern seemed familiar to her. She hunched over the desk and concentrated on the numbers. Slowly, a realization came to her. "Are you very close with Massive Dynamics?"

"Yeah my Father worked with them from time to time."

Olivia was frustrated. She wanted to say that in her universe they were close to massive dynamics but she was afraid that he wouldn't understand. "I know that! I'm asking if you are close to them now."

"Well yeah they cooperate with the fringe division."

"Okay, this looks familiar. This looks like a molecular sequence."

He typed into the computer while responding. "I'll do you one better. This is a DNA sequence."

He connected the computer screen to a bigger one so that she could see well. She concentrated hard until she eventually got something. "This looks like over six difference genetic profiles in one compact disc of a shape-shifter."

"So they can switch from each of the identities they have simultaneously." He interjected.

"So what? That's going to make them difficult to find then, don't you think?"

Peter looked at her with such an intense manner. "No. That's going to make them _impossible to find._ The new and improved shape-shifters can not only take on the physical appearance but also the molecular form. They'll be completely difficult to distinguish which makes them–"

"- The perfect infiltrators." Olivia stared at the screen, watching the numbers pass by trying to get a grasp of how unbelievable this all came to be. "This is great," she said. She felt Peter's eyes on her, scanning for a flaw or imperfection. She refused to look at him to make this anymore awkward than it already was. "Now what?"

He stared at the computer screen and began to type only slightly. "Well," he started inhaling an amount of air and exhaling slowly. "From what I can see this is broadcasting a huge signal. I can try to break the high-grade encryption and see where that takes us."

She crossed her arms and continued to look at the screen. She looked at the bigger screen trying to follow what peter was decrypting. Broyles came from his office, standing behind Peter and as far away from Olivia as possible. "Progress?"

"Just in time Broyles," he said pressing one last button. The numbers on the screen narrowed only into a specific amount. Peter smiled at the amazing work he had done.

"Are those what I think they are," Broyles said quite surprised.

Appalled she pointed to the screen and looked back at Broyles, "Those are coordinates."

"To what," Broyles interjected.

With a firm voice he looked around. "Someone pull up a map of the city."

Olivia rubbed her chin rough trying to figure out at least something that was happening. Peter pulled up a specific part of the map and saw that blinking red circles. "So they have some sort of GPS hooked up to them?"

"Yeah," Peter replied to her while still looking at the screen. "I think whoever is in charge is keeping an eye on his agents and that's the one who you have here."

"So you have found our shape shifter," Broyles asked fighting a smile that wished to lay on his face.

"But at any moment they can realize that you have breached their security," she turned her head to Peter, "You should go now, then."

He stormed across the division and toward the elevator, "I'm on my way and I'll call Astrid to meet me."

Broyles firmly nodded and within seconds the division was vacant and all who remained was Olivia and Broyles. Nothing but computers buzzed through the building but Olivia knew there was much to be said. She already knew that this was a delicate situation and she refused to make the situation first. She inhaled calmly and exhaled cautiously while rubbing her hands on her hips trying to hide her nervousness.

She placed hair behind her ear and turned to Broyles. She parted her lips and spoke as loud as her body dared her to. "I'm sure Peter and the rest of the agents have it pretty well from here. I'll just.. go back into the interrogation room."

She turned her back to walk back to the holding cell to be where she was until she gained the trust of Broyles and everyone else. She didn't mind doing any of that. But before she could take a second step, Broyles finally spoke. "Wait." She stopped and reluctantly turned around. "Thank you for today, _Dunham. _You saved an innocent man and for that I thank you."

She refused to say anything because in a moment like this what was there to say? She couldn't say anything because this wasn't the colleague that she used to know. She put her hands in her back pockets and walked to the interrogation room.

**xx**

A few hours later laid Olivia on a provided bed staring at the ceiling. She thought of the life she had and the sacrifice she made to save the man she loved. She thought of her sister and her niece, Ella. Olivia had always felt she was alone but feeling that way and actually being that way were two different things. She now felt this whole in her heart because two of the things she feared the most had happened to her at once. She lost the family she had and the man she had loved all in one. But her mind strayed from these thoughts when the door opened. The corners of her mouth formed upwards when she sat up to look at the happiest face she had seen so far.

She stood up, "Hello Walter."

He vaguely smiled at her as he shuffled his way to the chair. He held something in his hand which he placed onto the steel table. "Hello, Dear. Peter said you had wanted to speak to me, so I came as fast as I could."

"Thank you, Walter. I –" She tried to finish but she was so distracted by him removing his flat cap and unwrapping something.

"I take it you have been in here for such a long time and with a figure like yours you need nourishment so I have brung something that you may like." His eyes lit up as she slid a glass cup to her.

Olivia stared at him bafflingly before she took the straw and placed it inside the cup. She took a sip and widened her eyes. "Walter this is peanut butter!"

"I must confess that I've been trying to conjure a peanut butter milkshake recipe and I assumed that you would be the perfect individual to experiment on."

She sneered as she pushed the drink to the side and then folded her hands on top of the table. She opened her mouth to form words as best as she can. She didn't know where to start and whether or not where she wanted to start was the best approach. So she tried to be as considerate as she can. She inhaled and exhaled strongly and closed her eyes for only a second. "Walter? Do you know who I am?"

He stared for a second trying to remember. "Yes I do." His eyebrows furrowed toward each other as he tried extremely hard to remember where he knew her from. "You are… I can't say that I do my dear."

She cocked her head softly to the side and spoke as carefully as she could. "Walter, I am Olivia Dunham?"

His face looked hard and confused as he stared at her trying to understand the logic of what she was saying. Then suddenly his facial expressions started to soften as a smile came across his face. "I knew a little girl once. Her name was too Olivia Dunham. She was a pretty little girl just like you. You're very pretty."

She could tell that she was beginning to lose him but that didn't stop her from blushing. She looked down for a second as a smile washed across her face. Before looking up she tried to get rid of the smile and when she did she immediately looked into his eyes, startling Walter and she spoke with a stronger tone. "Walter. I am that Olivia Dunham."

His soft face transitioned into a hard look once again and then Olivia knew that she was losing him. "No. No… No.. She died a long time ago. You cannot be her." He was terrified and nervous. He started to avoid eye contact and began shouting out the word "No," while she tried to explain what was happening. He couldn't hear her but she desperately needed him to understand but he couldn't because he was lost inside of his own memories and inside of his own thoughts.

Olivia was reaching a boiling point as she tried to communicate with Walter. She finally slammed her hand of the steel table and snapped him out of his trance, "Dammit Walter." He just sat there quietly, not moving, just breathing as he continued to avoid eye contact. She looked at him and saw that sad face she came to know so well. She stood up, grabbed her chair and sat as close to him as she could. Slowly she grabbed his face with both her hands and starred into his eyes. "Walter, I know you are scared and I know this is something you don't want to relive but I am scared too and I _need_ you Walter. Do you hear me? _I need you Walter!_ I need you to stay with me and tell me what happened to the little Olivia Dunham that you knew? Can you tell me that?"

He took a moment as his eyes started to tear and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes letting little tears fall and finally he nodded his head.

"I was a different man back then. You must understand this, my dear. We experimented with little children and we used a drug – "

"Cortexiphan. I know Walter."

"Yes… We tested the children with it and Olivia was one of the first. She received treatment very well and she was one of the strongest if not the only. But one day we tried written tests… and I left the room to see how she would react to the medicine and that day it had been raining so much… the power went out and it was so dark because we darkened the windows… She was so scared and I should have known then that she was able to use her abilities when in fear… and she collapsed inside of that room all alone. I rushed to her aide but her heartbeat was slowing down and I felt her forehead and she was burning up hotter than any normal child and although she was essentially fire I cradled her in my arms. I still have the _marks_."

He went to pull up his sleeve but Olivia stopped him. "I – She Internally combusted?"

He looked down and Olivia grabbed his face once again and with tears she pleaded. "I know how peculiar this is, Walter. I know how hard your life must have been, but I don't know what to do. No one _remembers_ me. Peter doesn't even know me, and you never had the chance to. You are the smartest man that I know and I know that if anyone can fix any of this it is you. _Help me, Walter._"

He shook his head furiously until his face was out of her hands. He stood up and stood at a distance. Olivia felt weak trying to plead with a man who could potentially make everything right again but it pained her even more to look into his eyes. "I murdered a little girl, my dear. My son died and I stole another version of my son from a different universe so that I could save him from death and by horrendous pretenses he and I almost died because of that. I pray every day for that boy. I made him live in a world filled with lies when I just wanted him to live. I tore a hole in both universes because I thought I could make everything right. I thought I could fix things and every day I realize that I only had made them worse. I cannot help you dear; I do not deserve to do things over again. I am very sorry… I cannot help you."

"Walter," she screamed with fear but most importantly loneliness.

"Wherever you came from, however you got here it doesn't matter. I can't help you. I tried to help a version of my son and with every day he hates who I am. I tried to save a version of you and I hated the man who I became."

He pressed a button for someone to let him out and waited till the door opened. Olivia with a hopeless, heart broken, looked at her only chance of going home. The door opened and Walter took one step and turned around to look in the direction of her but not directly at her.

"You are just a bodily form of every mistake I have made in the past. I do not deserve to repent."


End file.
